Catalog
1/2 Franc Series A
| Issuer | Municipality of Korçë |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of a large Albanian double-headed eagle in dark brown letterpress, wings spread wide, set against a green guilloche underprint of repeating foliate scrollwork. Circular denomination panels bearing '1/2 fr' flank the eagle at left and right. Bilingual text in French and Albanian occupies the lower left and right quadrants respectively, with two manuscript signatures below, the place name KORÇË and the date 1-3-17 at centre. Printer and engraver credits appear at the lower corners, with a serial number in blue at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | SHQIPËRIË VETOEVERITARE 1/2 fr A VUE ET AU PORTEUR LA DIRECTION DES FINANCES PAIERA LA SOMME DE DEMI FRANC LE DIRECTEUR DES FINANCES ME TË PARË DIREKCIA E FINANCËS DOT'I PAGUAJË SJELLESIT SUMEN TË GJYSMË FRANGE LE PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL KORÇË 1-3-1917 A 01627 GRAVEUR. DAVIER IMPR. A. A. VANGHELI - KORYTZA |
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| Comments |
Korçë's French occupation administration (1916–1918) created a short-lived autonomous zone — the République de Koritza — and with it came the practical problem of small-change shortages. These fractional notes were a local stopgap, printed in-town by A. A. Vangheli rather than shipped from any metropolitan press, which is why the production quality varies noticeably across surviving examples.
The entire Korçë series is among the rarest Albanian emergency issues, with the half-franc denomination particularly hard to find in any condition.